This kind of nuclear battery is the City Labs, a start-up has listed permission of nuclear battery, claims to be 20 years out of electricity. But this kind of nuclear battery, as we usually plant, as well as curiosity Mars vehicle carries the kind of nuclear battery, are not the same. All current nuclear power plant, is to use heavy elements of the fission reaction heat, then converts heat into electricity. And curiosity to carry nuclear battery, also known as isotope temperature difference generator, is to use the heat generated by the radioactive decay, the thermocouple thermoelectric induction materials such as generate electricity (see: http://www.guokr.com/question/299665/).

However, City Labs‘ s nuclear battery, the principle of electricity production is not the case, don‘t need after heat transfer. The battery use the so-called "nuclear material" is the hydrogen isotopes tritium, it consists of a nucleus of protons and two neutrons, also known as heavy hydrogen. This is a kind of radioactive material, beta decay happens, release of high-speed mobile electronic (beta), at the same time into a helium 3. The battery is the direct use of tritium of beta decay, let these high-speed electronic semiconductor, result in weak current.

As a result of the tritium half-life of 12.43 years, so the battery can continue to be supplied in a long time. But it will have little current, is only suitable for application in the low power consumption but need long time of uninterrupted power supply occasions, such as built-in power supply of medical equipment, and military and space use. Although there is a "nuclear" word in the name, but this kind of nuclear battery is quite safe, because of the tritium decay will only produce high-speed electronic, and this kind of electron is not the ability to penetrate the human body, so it is quite safe to human body